The Five Words Which Defined Katniss Everdeen
by mythmist
Summary: Katniss always thought that she was a plain-jane, nothing speacial. But the people around her thought diffrent. Here are the five words that The Mockingjay was defined by. * more charecters will be added, ratings might change*
1. Chapter 1: Beauty

**hello wonderful people of , after about four years of reading fics,I've finally decided to upload my own. Please be kind! Happy Reading :3**

 _ **The five words which described Katniss Everdeens life, and the ones that didn't.**_

 _ **CHAPTER 1:**_

.

 _ **Beauty**_

It was Peeta Mellark's fifth birthday, and his entire kindergarten-class had been squeezed into the generous confines of the family's bakery. He glanced around the room and was greeted with the jubilant gazes of his classmates. He nervously smiled back and continued looking, but was interrupted when his mother brought in his birthday cake. He smiled and awkwardly stared at the candles, as the room burst into a chorus of "Happy Birthday".

' _Why does this have to be so weird?'_ he thought as the overly-enthusiastic children jumped excitedly, clapping and hooting when they ran out of words to shout.

"Blow out the candles, and don't forget to make a wish dear" his mother said, smiling at him. Peeta inhaled deeply and blew. The room erupted in jubilation, five year olds lunged at the cake with predatorial screams and Peeta dove sideways to avoid them. He did however get a fistful of icing thrown into his hair. His mother shrieked and Peeta ran for cover under the table farthest from her.

When he slid under the covers, he found himself face to face with _her._ Katniss Everdeen.

For a whole minute, they both stared at each other in silence, then Katniss finally said- "Happy Birthday...Peeta"

His motor senses stopped working. All he could fathom was that Katniss Everdeen had said something to him, which he'd been dumb enough to not hear. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, stupidly. "I wished you a happy birthday." Katniss repeated. "Oh. Uh, thank you" he said. "Would you like some cake?" he asked. "Well, I'm not sure there's any left." Katniss replied. They both looked at the centre-table, where the cake once stood were about fifty kids, running amok, their mothers in tow, all yelling and screeching. "Oh" Peeta remarked. "That's too bad, it was a good cake"

He looked at Katniss who shrugged, "I guess we'll never know" she said, and gave him a toothy grin, which he returned. "Well, it's getting late, so I should go home." She said, shyly tugging at her red dress, which was worn and spotted around the edges. Peeta panicked. He couldn't let her go, not when he was finally talking to her! He looked at her shell-shocked, then yelled- "WAIT! stay right here, let me get you something" he said and ran from their hiding spot.

After a few minutes, he crawled back in, covered in about a pound of cake. "Sorry-" he gasped, as he collapsed beside her, "-it's a jungle out there. But I got this for you" he held out a grubby bag, filled to the top with an assortment of cookies. "oh! No, I…I couldn't" she said, shooting him a sympathetic gaze, "it's alright" Peeta smiled, offering them again. " In exchange for the cake. I'm sorry they got to it before I could. Here, have these. I baked them this morning. You can give some to your sister, she'll like them, I'm sure." She relented. "Thank you" she whispered, a smile crept upon her face. "And it's fine, really. No need to say sorry, about the cake I mean… I like cookies more." She took a cookie out, broke it in two half and gave one to him .

They ate their cookies in silence, as the sounds of the battle outside slowly died down. "I think that's why they all came here, f-for the cake I mean." Peeta said. " Nope, Not me." Katniss said, "I came for the cookies" and then she flashed him a devious grin.

That's when it happened. Peeta looked at her, he _really_ looked at her and then, he realized something, something not every five-year old can. Katniss Everdeen was _Beautiful._

She wasn't pretty, like Delly, no, instead, she was beautiful.

But of course, he didn't tell her that. Instead, he grinned in response and walked her to his front door. "Goodnight Peeta" Katniss said, then standing on tiptoes, she did something that made his stomach swoop and head spin, she _kissed_ him. Well, it was a peck on the cheek more than anything, but it _happened!_

"Happy birthday" she repeated, then ran off into the night, swinging the bag of cookies.

Peeta stared after her, then walked back- in a trance- to the party, where the children-covered in copious amount of cake- bid him farewell and walked out, constantly being scolded by their mothers.

"Well, that didn't go as planned" his mother said, grumbling as she scooped wasted food into the bin, Peeta picked up a mop and proceeded to wipe the floor clean with it, but his mom stopped him, "Peeta, it's alright. I'll ask Barn or Rye to help. Today was a busy day, you must be tired. Go to bed" she said, and sent him off with a kiss to the forehead. Today was indeed a day of miracles. Mother wasn't scolding him, Father had praised his cookies earlier in the morning, even Rye and Bran hadn't teased him, but all that was secondary to the fact that his wish had come true. Katniss had noticed him, she'd talked to him, she'd given him the best present _ever._

He smiled to himself and tenderly rubbed the spot where her lips had touched his cheeks. And then quiet suddenly, another epiphany occurred to him, that when it came to Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark was a goner.

Years later, he would look back at that moment and smile. Beauty was a subjective word, but to him, beauty was olive skin and straight black hair, beauty was grey eyes and a crooked smile, beauty was a permanent scowl and a melodious laugh, beauty was Katniss Everdeen: smart, funny, very intimidating and blissfully unaware of the effect that she had on him.


	2. Chapter 2: Partner

Hello. It's me.

I'm terribly sorry I'm updating so late, but I never expected my story to be read.

As a gesture of my gratitude, here's the second chapter, for your pleasure

 _ **The Five Words which Defined Katniss Everdeen, chapter 2:**_

 _ **.**_

 **Partner**

Gale winced as he slid under the barbed fence. It was quite difficult, now that his father wasn't here to hold it up for him.

Father.

Tears welled up in his eyes at the memory. It felt like it'd been centuries since the mines had swallowed up his dad, and the hundred others who went down with him. Gale had stood outside the gates, waiting for hours after the blasts, searching for him in the debris, and among the corpses they brought out every now and then. Every time an official walked out the gates, he'd run up to them and ask about his father's whereabouts.

' No survivors' they'd say, repeatedly. But how could that be? His father couldn't be dead!

He had promised that they'd go test the newest snares Gale'd learnt the week before. His father never broke his promises…

But that was millions of years ago. Now, Gale couldn't afford to cry. He had to be strong. Posy needed him, Vick needed him, so did Rory(even though he pretended he didn't). Besides, his mother cried enough for the both of them.

He trudged along wearily, his feet steering him towards the snares and traps he'd laid out the day before. He didn't care about making too much noise. If everything had gone according to plan, the animal in his snare was already too dead to run.

Which is why he was shocked to find the first snare empty, and the strings cut haphazardly.

He checked for tracks, but couldn't find any. Running towards the second snare, he was even more surprised to find a girl kneeling in front of it, about to cut the rabbit entangled in it loose.

"HEY!" he shouted. The girl looked at him, a frightened gasp frozen on her lips. Her eyes were wide with fright.

Silver eyes; like Posy's. like his own.

Gale took her in properly. A thin, starved frame, sallow olive skin, a black braid falling down her back.

She could've easily been another one of his siblings. Immediately, he softened.

"Don't steal that. It's against the law to steal." He said, using the mock-strict tone he often used on his brothers (but never Posy, no. for Posy, he was the nicest, fluffiest person on earth). The girl looked even more scared than before, maybe at the mention of 'the Law' or something.

"Look, I'm not going to call the Peacekeepers on you, if that's what you think. It's just that you're stealing from me, and I don't appreciate that, alright…uhh…what's your name?" he asked.

"Phakneepff" she replied, in a barely audible mumble. "What? Catnip!?" he said, "what kind of name is THAT!" The girl scowled at him in reply. A fierce scowl, which creased her little forehead in the weirdest way possible. Gale snorted at her, but that only made her contort her face even more, which made him burst out in the loudest laugh he'd laughed since the day the joy was sucked out of his life, and now he couldn't stop. He laughed till he couldn't stand, and had to lean on an adjacent tree for support.

The girl looked at him quizzically. And then, she said "my name is Katniss. CAT-Nissssss. Understand? And quit laughing at me like that, or you'll burst a vein."

That made him stop. He went and crouched next to her. His fingers nimbly removing the rabbit from the trap. The whole time, she watched him work. He turned to her and said, "well, Kat-nissss. I guess I like you. And so, I'll be willing to forgive you for trying to steal from me. But, what do I get in return for my pardon?" he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I'm a fair archer…my dad.." she paused there, clearing her throat-and so Gale knew, she was probably there at the mine gates too, that day- "..umm..he taught me. I'm still working on it, but this is what I shot today." She pulled out a rat, still impaled on the arrow. Gale smiled, "not bad… for a girl atleast." He smirked at her, and got a scowl in return. " Say, you want to be my hunting partner? Together, you and I can rake a good haul. We can even trade for it at the Hob!" he said excitedly.

"Ummm… I haven't gone to the hob alone… Ever. So, I guess….Okay. I could be your partner." She smiled at him brightly.

"I'm Gale by the way…. Thought you should know, now that we're partners and everything."

He offered her his hand, and she shook it.

"Partners" he repeated, grinning. She beamed back at him, through her freckled face and tangled hair.

And that's when Gale Hawthorne knew that he had her trust. He also knew that somehow, this trust was very hard to win. And so, he decided that from that day forward, he'd prove to her that he'd earned every bit of it.

.

.

.

He saw her standing there, still as the trees around her. Bow flung across a rock, arrows strewn around her. "Catnip!" he called, running to her with urgency.

"Katniss!" he repeated, touching her shoulder. She turned to look at him. Her eyes were frozen in shock, face drained of color. Under his fingers, her body was strung as tight as a bowstring.

"Oh Gale! Rue was here! She died in my arms! And there was Cato, and Marvel, and even Glimmer! I killed them Gale, I killed them all!" she cried, sinking to the ground. He knelt beside her and said earnestly, "Look at me Katniss. Look! You're in Twelve. You won! You're home, Catnip."

She looked at him again, the clouds clearing from her eyes. "Where's Peeta?" she whispered. Gale let go of her, "He's good too. At Haymitch's." He cleared his throat and stood up.

"So, too tired to hunt today?" he teased. She smiled in return, "you wish" she said. She sounded exhausted.

Soon, they were carrying their haul across to the Hob, and Gale stole a chance to look at her.

To him, she was still the scared twelve year old who was picking at his snares.

How could the whole of Panem see her as a Victor? As a mysterious, sultry, 'seductive' woman?

This was Catnip for crying out loud! The same one who'd laughed at the Capitol's insane culture, the one who came crying to him after fights with her mother.

His Katniss didn't stand in the limelight in fancy creations, his Katniss wasn't discussed in tabloids.

His Katniss didn't make him feel jealous of Peeta Mellark. His Katniss didn't make him want to kiss her.

The girl who'd left Twelve the day of the Reaping was his Catnip. Frail, barely making ends meet, secretive, vulnerable.

The woman who'd returned was Katniss Everdeean, Victor, Lover, Capitol favorite, Broken.

But as Katniss sat down beside him in the hob, bumping his elbow with hers, he knew. He couldn't cry about his loss. He had to be strong. Posy needed him, Vick needed him, Prim needed him, Katniss… not so much anymore. But he was still there for her. He'd made a promise to himself (which-like his father- he never broke.) After all, she was his responsibility.

She was his partner.


End file.
